Thursday, April 28, 2016

Knox County property tax collections are up again this year,
reaching what could possibly be an all-time high, but officials say
there’s still more money to go after.

The county Trustee’s Office
closed the books Feb. 29 on the current tax season, bringing in $249
million from property owners who paid before the deadline.

That amounted to a roughly 96.5 percent collection rate from taxes tied to some 206,000 parcels throughout the county.

But,
Trustee Ed Shouse says there’s still about $6 million in outstanding
taxes, and those who haven’t paid up now also owe an additional 18
percent penalty fee.

“Every year there’s an increase (in
collections),” said Shouse, who wrapped up his first full tax season as
trustee. “I can’t speak definitely whether it’s record breaking or not,
but it’s a good number for us to work at every year and we’ll try to
improve it every year . . . . I can’t promise you we will, but we’ll do
our very best.”

Collections – mostly due to overall natural growth in the county – continue to rise.

For
example, the office last year collected $247 million by the end of
February deadline. Five year ago, it brought in $231 million.

“Frankly
having an extra day to pay your taxes helped,” Shouse added, referring
to leap year. “Every four years you’re going to get an extra day – that
helped. And I think we were more aggressive in the way we sent notices
out, processing and returning mail – common sense things. Using Google,
KGIS and just trying to find people’s correct address.”

Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero unveiled her proposed budget on
Wednesday, a $302.68 million spending plan that doesn’t include a tax
increase but features funding dedicated to a number of major initiatives
including streetscapes and community service organizations.

The
overall budget is about a 4.5 percent increase from the current one, but
officials said the additional revenues came from natural growth.

In
addition, the budget includes a $212.5 million general fund - which
covers most of the city's day-to-day operations - that is an almost 3
percent from the current budget.

The plan will cover the upcoming fiscal year, which begins July 1.

Rogero,
during her presentation at Zoo Knoxville, emphasized the momentum and
economic development occurring across the city – and also the need to
ensure that all residents share in the growing prosperity.

“Stronger,
safer neighborhoods are more than quality police and fire protection
and more than bricks and mortar,” Rogero said, speaking to a crowd of
hundredse. “Strengthening the social fabric and ensuring success for
families and youth are even more essential.”

The streetscape
project for a four-block section of Magnolia Avenue from Jessamine to
Bertrand streets represents the largest new capital investment in the
budget, at $4.39 million.

The project was first proposed in the
Magnolia Avenue Corridor Plan adopted by City Council in 2009, and has
been in various stages of public input and design for the past two
years. The eventual plan is to redesign all of Magnolia Avenue from
downtown to Burlington, to make it more attractive and safer for local
residents drivers, pedestrians, cyclists and transit riders.

Rogero
also reiterated her commitment of a $250,000 capital grant to The
Change Center, a new recreation and jobs center for young people on
Harriet Tubman Street that was announced April 20.

She also
proposed an additional $50,000 for the City’s Save Our Sons initiative
to reduce violence and increase opportunities for young men and boys of
color, doubling its programming capacity.

Further, she included another
annual commitment of $250,000 for the Great Schools Partnership to
support Community Schools in center city neighborhoods.

Among other highlights of the proposed budget:

$2.7 million for sidewalks and crosswalks across the city, including
$750,000 for sidewalks within school Parental Responsibility Zones and
another $750,000 for new sidewalk construction;

$1.3 million for an advanced traffic management system (ATMS), which
will allow networked, responsive timing of traffic signals to enhance
traffic flow and reduce congestion and pollution;

A combined $1.25 million in grants to local arts, culture, community and social service nonprofit organizations;

$1 million for development of greenway corridors;

$5.8 million for the City’s annual street paving program, plus $3
million for phase 2 of the Pleasant Ridge Road project, $1.5 million for
Kingston Pike improvements and $1.12 million for improvements at
Merchants Drive and Clinton Highway;

$726,500 for economic development efforts through Innovation Valley,
the Knoxville Chamber, the Knoxville Entrepreneur Center and the Visit
Knoxville Film Office;

$500,000 for the Historic Preservation Fund, to help fill financing gaps for renovation or restoration of historic properties;

$300,000 for public art, including $50,000 to support Dogwood Arts’ “Art in Public Places” program;

$200,000 toward a program for pre-arrest diversion of individuals with mental health and substance abuse issues.

Knoxville City Council will consider the budget on first reading at
its May 10 meeting, followed by Council’s public budget hearing on May
17. The budget is scheduled for final adoption at Council’s June 7
meeting.

Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Knoxville Mayor Rogero will unveil her proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year and present her "state of the city" address noon Wednesday at Zoo Knoxville.

The event is open to the public.

According to a release:

"Hundreds of community and civic leaders will hear the Mayor’s plans for continuing to strengthen the local economy, enhance neighborhoods and quality of life, and ensure a greener, more sustainable future."

Parking will be available in the zoo parking lot (which will include designated ADA parking spaces), as well as the parking lots at Chilhowee Park & Exposition Center. Buses will be shuttling guests between the Chilhowee parking lots and the event venue.

Guests should come into Zoo Knoxville using a separate, clearly marked entrance designated for the State of the City Address. Staff will be on hand to direct guests. The State of the City Address will be held in a new Zoo Knoxville event space, near Kids Cove and the carousel. A light lunch will be served.

If you plan on attending, please call the City’s 311 Call Center to RSVP or to ask questions about logistics for the event.

Monday, April 25, 2016

A move by state lawmaker to cut and eventually repeal Tennessee’s
Hall income tax on stock and dividends could force local governments to
either cut services or raise taxes to make up the financial difference.

Knox County and Knoxville, however, should be fine. For now.

Still, local mayors are not happy with the cut.

At
issue is a tax that affects about 2 percent of the state households and
mostly its wealthiest residents. The state taxes income from taxable
stock dividends and certain interest.

Knox County the past five
years has received between $2.2 million and $4.5 million from the tax.
Knoxville during the same time period has received between $4 million to
$12.5 million.

“I am opposed to the move to cut and eventually
abolish the Hall tax,” Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero said. “The City
of Knoxville budgets about $4 million a year for Hall tax revenues.
That’s the equivalent of about 10 cents on our property tax rate. In
order to give what amounts to a small tax cut for the wealthiest people
in the state, our Legislature is shifting millions of dollars a year in
public services onto the backs of middle- and lower-income residents.”

Any
amount that comes in over what the city budget gets invested directly
into needed public infrastructure, like sidewalks, bridge repairs, and
streetscapes.

The bill state lawmakers approved on Friday will cut the income tax this year and repeal it in 2022.

For Knox County, the immediate cut is expected to be as much as $500,000.

“In
politics people are always taking credit for things but you’re not
getting the full story,” Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett said. “It sounds
great to eliminate a tax – but you’ve got to realize – it only affects 1
percent of the population, usually the wealthiest of our population.
It’s serious business. Some of these smaller communities – it could
really hit them hard. And some of the bigger ones rely more heavily on
it – some of our more wealthy counties.”

When asked whether the hit would affect services, Burchett said he didn’t think it would for Knox County.

“That’s
why I’ve been fiscally conservative all these years,” he said. “We made
cuts and we have monies that we can apply to other things. We’re not
going to cut services mainly because our fiscal budgets have been
incredibly conservative, and (the Knox County) Commission has done a
good job on holding the line on spending.”

But, the mayor said no state legislators contacted local officials about the bill.

BY THE NUMBERS

Below is a look at the revenues received by the county and city during the past five years.

The Knox County Commission on Monday will decide whether to sign off
on tax breaks for two major downtown developments – one that will create
100 condominiums and the other that will call for almost 150
apartments.

At issue is whether to grant a PILOT for the second
phase of the Marble Alley project on State Street to help build an
underground parking garage inside the apartment complex.

Under the
proposal, the developers would make $51,450 payments a year for a
decade instead of paying the full amount of property taxes during that
time. The move saves developers money since they’re not paying
additional taxes on the improvements they make to the property during
construction.

The commission also will talk about whether to
approve a $5 million "tax increment financing" package for the
Jackson/Depot development near the Regas building.

Under the proposed plan,
condo developers would pay $45,745 to the county and $69,700 to the
city in taxes each year for up to 20 years. Afterward, the county would
get $223,000 a year and the city would receive $262,000.

The position was formerly held by Autumn Tooms-Cypres, who left in 2013 for a position at Virginia Commonwealth University. The center has been directed since then by Betty Sue Sparks, associate professor of practice, and interim director Mary Lynne Derrington, assistant professor of educational administration.

"I am delighted to become part of the UT team," said McIntyre in a released statement. "Our nationally recognized flagship University is doing remarkable work in the field of education, and I look forward to joining the outstanding faculty in contributing to that effort. I can now wear my Volunteer orange with even more pride."

Established in June 2010, the Center for Educational Leadership provides rigorous training for aspiring school leaders in a way that bridges the gap between theory and practice.

The center's components include the Leadership Academy, which provides an intensive 15-month postgraduate degree program in educational administration for a select group of fellows, a professional development task force that works with aspiring and new school administrators around the state of Tennessee, and a repository that houses current research on the best practices in the field of educational leadership.

A collaboration between UT and Knox County Schools, the Leadership Academy combines graduate-level coursework with a full-time four-day-a-week leadership residency in a public school to work with a licensed principal. Graduates receive a master's or education specialist degree and a beginning instructional leader license from the state of Tennessee.

As director, McIntyre will make $180,000 annually and his contract runs through July 31, 2019.

Thursday, April 21, 2016

The Knox County E-911 Board of Directors began implementing a number
of changes Wednesday including cutting ties with the center’s executive
director and moving toward a change that would hook its emergency
responder radio system onto a state network.

On
Wednesday, the board also asked the county’s purchasing department to
create a memorandum of understanding with the Tennessee Valley Regional
Communications System, so Knox County can tap into the state's emergency
network.

The plan also calls for the county to build a $1
million master site so the center can work independently if the state
system goes down.

“We think this is the best option because we
kind of get the best of both worlds,” said Collin Ickes, director of the
Knoxville-Knox County Emergency Management Agency. “With the valley
system option, that makes us part of a bigger system and you don’t have
quite the same local control. But by having master site here, well, that
kind of retains our own autonomy and gives us local control.”

Monday, April 18, 2016

The state this year has declined to give Knox County money to operate a
much-talked about public safety center that would serve and treat the
homeless and mentally ill who are arrested for nonviolent crimes, Knox
County Mayor Tim Burchett confirmed to WBIR 10News.

Burchett, who had been working with Gov. Bill Haslam's office, said he was “very disappointed.”

“Obviously,
this isn’t a priority with the state,” he said. “It just seems that
East Tennessee usually gets the short end of the stick when it comes to
funding, and this is no different.”

The mayor said state leaders
told him there was less money than they initially thought in the
proposed state budget. Still, Burchett said, he will try again next
year.

The mayor figures the county needs about $1 million annually from the state to keep such a facility up and running yearly.

County
leaders have long talked about building a facility to combat jail
crowding at the main Maloneyville Road detention center, and help those
with mental health issues get the care they need. But commissioners say
they need the county, state and city to each chip in $1 million to get
the operation up and running.

The county set aside its share several years ago, but the state and city have often hesitated to commit.

Past
plans have suggested that the center would treat offenders who
voluntarily stay for up to three days, and could serve about 4,000
people a year. Officials say the facility would cost about $2 million to
build and then another $1.7 million annually to operate.

In a move that was not unexpected, a panel of emergency responders
and local leaders on Monday recommended cutting ties with the embattled
executive director of the Knox County E-911 Center.

In a 4-0 vote,
the personnel committee for the E-911 Board of Directors agreed to pay
Bob Coker three months' worth of salary, which amounts to almost
$34,700.

In addition, Coker, who has come under fire for months now, will get another $1,225 to cover his unused vacation time.

The full E-911 Board of Directors meets Wednesday morning and is expected to approve the deal.
The
panel also recommended placing Alan Bull, the center’s technical
services manager, into the interim executive director position.

“Ultimately,
we agreed it was in the best interest of all parties if we ended the
contract,” said Stan Sharp, chief of the Knoxville Fire Department and
chairman of the personnel committee.

Coker, the center’s director
for the past decade, faced a scathing employee review, problems with the
department’s dispatch system and controversy over a multi-million
dollar radio contract – all within the past year.

Further, last month a number of board members expressed
dissatisfaction with his overall performance and questioned his
leadership.

On Monday, the panel members talked briefly about
their options. They could try to fire him with cause or sign off on a
proposal hammered out between Sharp and Coker.

"I think it is
reasonable," said Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero, a panel member.
"Certainly that middle ground – whenever you have to push a termination
for cause it takes time; it’s not good for the organization. And I think
we’ve seen accomplishments over Mr. Coker's term and I think we’ve seen
some things we’d like for improvements and this is a good middle
ground."

Coker declined to comment Monday.

Coker’s current
contract ends June 30, 2017 but it would automatically roll over for
another year beginning July 1. The contract has a provision that the
11-member board of directors can terminate him with a majority “plus
one” vote, and pay him his salary for the following six months. But, if
the board finds cause to fire him, then it doesn’t have to cover his
pay.

Coker, who took over the center in 2005 and earns about
$130,000 annually, can step down on his own but must give a 60-day
notice.

Board members during the past year have expressed
disappointment in Coker a number of times. There’s been problems with
the center’s $6.2 million computer-aided dispatching system, or CAD,
which faced several cost overruns during its implementation.

In
addition, twice last year the board declined to approve an almost $9
million contract that would replace the radio system emergency
responders use to communicate between each other.

Board members also questioned whether Coker tried to influence the bidding process.

Harris
Communications won the bid, but the board declined to sign off on the
contract, and expressed interest in continuing to work with Motorola
Solutions, which has served the center for decades.

Board members accused Coker of trying to bring Harris on board without going through an official selection process.

The Tennessee Department of Transportation will host a Design Public Meeting on Thursday to gather public input on the Knox County SR-71 widening project from south of Simpson Road to Hendron Chapel Road.

The meeting will be held from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. at the following location: Valley Grove Baptist Church 9000 Sevierville Pike Knoxville, TN 37920.

The meeting is being held to provide the public an opportunity to provide comments regarding this proposed widening project. Representatives of TDOT will be available to provide information on various aspects of this proposed project.

The League of Women Voters of Knoxville/Knox County will hold a community discussion to talk about ways to increase voter participation.

The meeting - which takes place at 6 p.m. on April 28 at Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law - comes as roughly 42 percent of the county's registered voters participated in the March primary.

The discussion will begin with a panel moderated Georgiana Vines, a veteran political columnist for The Knoxville News Sentinel.

De'Ossie Dingus, Sr., President and Executive Director, Alliance House Community of Knoxville

Ann Strange, Voter Services Chair, League of Women Voters of Knoxville and Knox County

Allan Wilford, PhD Candidate, University of Tennessee, Political Science

The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan political organization, encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.

Visitors to LMU Law are welcome to park in the faculty/staff lot, located on campus. Parking is also available in either the Walnut Street Garage at the corner of Locust Street and Summer Place, Market Square Parking Garage at the corner of Wall Avenue and Walnut Street, or the Locust Street Parking Garage at the corner of Union Avenue and Locust Street.

Friday, April 15, 2016

Soon-to-be interim KCS Superintendent Buzz Thomas says he will be
more than just a placeholder when he takes over the Knox County school
system beginning in July.

In fact, Thomas said, he’s “not afraid”
to make changes that could lead to “trimming some bureaucracy (and)
investing more in classrooms.”

“I always think there are
improvements that can be made and we’ll try to do that,” Thomas told
WBIR 10News. “I said the other day, we’re not going to circle the
airport for the next six to 12 months. We’re going to continue the
journey. We’ve been on an upward projector, but not upward enough. So,
we need to improve at a faster pace . . . .”

Thomas will begin
serving as interim superintendent July 9. Current Superintendent Jim
McIntyre announced in January that he would step down this summer.

Thomas,
who is currently the president of the non-profit Great Schools
Partnership, is the guest on Sunday’s “Inside Tennessee,” WBIR’s
political and public affairs program, which airs at 9:30 a.m.

During
Sunday’s discussion, Thomas touches on a wide range of topics,
including plans to boost teacher morale, a renewed focus on student
reading levels, whether the next superintendent should have teaching
experience and if he’s interested in the job on a permanent basis.

“I
think we’ve gotten into two camps for lack of a better term,” he said.
“We’ve got the pro-teacher camp and then you’ve got the pro-student
achievement camp and they’re over there looking at test scores and if
kids are making better (grades) on the ACT. Here’s the truth: All of us
want both things.
Is there anybody who doesn’t want kids to achieve and
learn so that they have a successful future? And is there anybody who
doesn’t want our teachers to be happy? We want teacher morale to be
high.”

Thomas added: “You want kids to learn and teachers to enjoy
coming to work every day. And I think we can do that but we’ve got to
get past the personality and the politics and refocus on the work”

It acts as a support group for
the district, funding after-school programs and helping students and
teachers achieve more in the classroom.

As interim superintendent, he hopes to boost teacher morale and renew a focus on student reading level.

“Only
47 percent of our third graders are proficient readers. That’s
unacceptable," he said. "Half of our graduating seniors last year made
below a 21 on the ACT, which is the minimum benchmark for college and
career readiness. How are we going to address that problem?”

He said his term will likely last no more than a year.

“I
like the job I have. I’m excited about the new challenges and the
opportunity, but I also look forward to being the president of Great
Schools Partnership again," he said.

“I don’t have a lot of K
through 12 teaching experience," Thomas continued. "I was a college
professor for a while, I taught law at Georgetown University and that’s
great, but that’s very different from teaching a room of first graders
that are required by law to be there.”

Great Schools Partnership
Treasurer, and Knoxville Chamber President, Mike Edwards said he expects
Thomas to thrive in his new role.

“An interim period can be very
disruptive for any organization, and particularly a school district,"
Edwards said. "I think that his will be not interruptive. I think he
will be able to lead with great grace and wisdom, and we’ll be just
fine.”

He said the experience Thomas gains working for Knox County
Schools will not only benefit students and teachers in that realm, but
also come back to help the nonprofit organization.

“While his
leadership will be clearly missed, I don’t think we’ll miss a beat in
the schools where we’re doing projects,” Edwards said. “When he returns,
he will be even much better prepared to lead the Great Schools.”

Great
Schools Partnership will soon meet to choose its interim president to
replace Thomas, as he starts his new post around June.

Thursday, April 7, 2016

State Rep. Martin Daniel – whose recent comments about ISIS recruitment placed him at the center of recent controversy – has drawn three opponents in his re-election bid for the 18th District seat.

He is the only local state House member whose seat is up this term who faces a challenger in the Aug. 4 state primary.

The deadline to qualify for this summer’s state and federal primaries was noon Thursday.

As it stands, there are seven state House seats, one state Senate seat and one Congressional House seat up for grabs.

In addition, the town of Farragut, which holds its election on the same day, has two races for alderman seats.

Here’s a snapshot of those contests:

No one challenged long-time Republican Congressman John Duncan Jr in the primary but he will face Stuart Starr, a Democrat from Loudon County, in the Nov. 8 general election.

No one challenged Duncan’s sister, Becky Duncan Massey, for her 6th District state Senate seat in either the primary or general election.

Local Legislative delegation Chairman Eddie Smith, who is in his first term, does not have an opponent in the primary for the 13th District seat. But, he will face his predecessor Gloria Johnson, a Democrat, in the November general election, which sets up a rematch from 2014.

No one qualified to run against Republican Jason Zachary, who won a special election last year for the 14thDistrict seat. However, he will face Democrat Scott Hacker in the general election.

Joe Armstrong, the only Democrat in the local Legislative delegation, doesn't have an opponent for the 15th District seat in the primary. But, he faces perennial candidate and independent Pete Drew in November. However, Armstrong also is scheduled to go on trial Aug. 2 for charges of tax evasion and defrauding the IRS in connection with an alleged cigarette tax scheme.

16th District state Rep. Bill Dunn doesn’t have any opposition in either the primary or general election; nor does 19th District state Rep. Harry Brooks.

89th District state Rep. Roger Kane will not face an opponent in the primary, but Democrat Heather Hensley qualified to challenge him in November.

In Farragut, Ward 1 incumbent Louise Povlin, the owner of Anytime Fitness and a member of the Farragut Municipal Planning Commission, will face Richard Cataldi, a career military officer and former member of the town’s planning committee.

No one qualified to challenge Ron Williams for the Ward II seat.

The Farragut elections are non-partisan.

Most of the state candidates probably won’t begin campaigning heavily for another few months.

That more than likely won’t be the case for the 18th District state House seat currently held by Martin.

Martin, a Knoxville Republican in his first term, will face Steve Hall, his predecessor whom he narrowly defeated two years ago for the seat; Bryan Dodson, a pizza deliverer and former political adviser to ex-state Sen. Stacey Campfield; and local attorney James Corcoran.

The winner will face Democrat Brandi Price, an attorney, in the November general election.

As expected, the Knox County school board unanimously voted to approve the hiring of Buzz Thomas to serve as interim schools superintendent.

The board met Wednesday afternoon in a regular session at the City County Building downtown.

On Monday in a board workshop, board member Terry Hill nominated Thomas, head of the Great Schools Partnership, to serve in the temporary position.

“I am honored to be chosen by the Board of Education for this incredibly important position," said Thomas in a release. "I know how dedicated each board member is to the well-being of our children and the success of our schools."

Board member Amber Rountree supports Thomas, but wants the search for a permanent replacement to start with someone with teaching experience.

"Having been in a school and working in a teaching role and an administrative role helps you build positive relationships with staff and it helps you make the best decision for kids," said Rountree.

Besides
Thomas, other men who were nominated included Bob Thomas, a Knox County
Schools assistant superintendent; Rodney Russell, director of human
capital strategy at KCS; and Danny Trent, KCS secondary supervisor.

As part of the selection process, Hill interviewed candidates.

By agreement, Harris would have until April 17 to negotiate a contract with Thomas.

By
policy, the person chosen for the interim role is not expected to be a
candidate for permanent superintendent. The search for a long-term
leader could take up to a year and is expected to begin in September,
after new school members are elected and seated.

Board members
have said they want an interim leader who cares about children and who
is familiar with the school system’s budget, schools and staff.

Last
month, McIntyre proposed a general purpose budget of $453.5 million, an
increase of $15.5 million or nearly 4 percent from the current fiscal
year. The board will vote on the budget in April.

The system is composed of 90 schools and a 7,500 person workforce that includes about 5,000 teachers.

The
Knox County BOE hired McIntyre in the spring of 2008, after a year-long
process that included whittling down a list of 40 candidates to a
handful of finalists.

Friday, April 1, 2016

East Tennessee lawmaker Randy McNally doesn’t plan to change much if he becomes the state’s next Speaker of the Senate.

But, he might help push forward a gas tax, so long as a number of factors fall into place.
McNally,
a Republican state senator from Oak Ridge, is the frontrunner to
replace Lt. Governor Ron Ramsey who announced last month that he won’t
seek re-election.

“I don’t think there will be a lot of difference – it will be a fairly smooth transition,” McNally told WBIR 10News.

Senators will vote on the next speaker in January when the General Assembly begins its next session.
McNally,
who has served in either the House or Senate since 1977, is the guest
on this Sunday’s “Inside Tennessee,” WBIR 10News’ political and public
affairs program, which airs at 9:30 a.m.

“I want to continue the
path that (Lt.) Gov. Ramsey, the current speaker, has set out of being a
very fiscal conservative legislator – making sure our debt is low, our
taxes are low . . . (and) controlling growth in expenditures and making
sure the essential services are providing for Tennesseans, especially
growing new jobs and promoting education,” he said.

McNally, who
currently serves as the chairman of the Senate Finance, Ways and Means
Committee, said he plans to spend the summer and fall working with
Ramsey to help Tennessee Republicans maintain and grow their strong
majority in the state Senate.

During Sunday’s discussion, McNally
touches on a wide range of topics, including the state’s financial
health, Insure Tennessee and funding for indigent defense.

When
pressed about whether he would push for an increase in the gas tax –
something Gov. Bill Haslam has floated – McNally said he would, but only
under certain conditions, like limiting it to a “single digit
increase.”

He told the panel that the tax is a “user fee” that “People who use the roads should pay.”

The Knox County Election Commission on Friday agreed to give residents a chance to vote on whether to legalize recreational and medical marijuana.

The vote, though, would be symbolic only since marijuana is still illegal in Tennessee.

Steven Cooper, who is spearheading the initiative, will now have until June 15 to get about 16,100 signatures from registered Knox County voters to put the two questions on the November ballot.

One question will ask whether recreational use of marijuana by people older than 21 should be allowed in Knox County.

The other concerns use of medical marijuana.

"The children with seizures, the vets with PTSD, the people with cancer, Alzheimer’s, the list goes on and on and on. It is time people in Tennessee had access to that," said Cooper, who will shoot for 20,000 signatures for each petition.

Chris Davis, assistant administrator of elections for the Knox County Election Commission, said his office will keep in regular contact with Cooper.

Davis said training, hiring “and putting people in a room for weeks on end to count signatures” will cost the county about $25,000.

Election officials said they want the ballot complete some time in September.

Cooper said Friday that he will begin collecting signatures this weekend.

the glass is usually half empty

My name is Mike Donila and I'm a reporter with WBIR in Knoxville, TN. I cover government. All politics is local, and mostly ridiculous. Travis Fain of Lucid Idiocy said that. He's a smart guy. This is my blog. The content ranges.